From Washington, DC

• Fierce Healthcare reports,
  • “The Trump administration has proposed flat rates in Medicare Advantage (MA) for 2027, and insurers argue in new commentary that those levels do not reflect the realities of the program.
  • “In late January, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its annual proposed advance notice governing MA and Part D. 
  • “The proposal includes a net payment rate increase of 0.09% in MA, meaning levels will be essentially flat if the plan becomes final.
  • “The proposed rule drew immediate ire from the industry, which is already navigating significant financial challenges in this market. Multiple leading players have elected to exit certain MA markets. 
  • “In official comments (PDF) submitted Wednesday to the CMS, the AHIP said the proposed rule “risks undermining CMS’ goal of providing beneficiaries with stable, affordable choices during the annual enrollment period.”
  • “At a time of sharply rising medical costs and high utilization of medical services, the combined effect of the proposed policy changes and growth rates will not keep pace with the cost of caring for seniors in 2027,” the organization, which is the largest lobbying group representing insurers, said in its comment letter.”

• MedPage Today relates,
  • A top health official at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) [Chris Klomp] hedged on payment reform, but committed to helping physicians address prior authorization challenges, during the American Medical Association’s (AMA) National Advocacy Conference.”

• Per Beckers Health IT,
  • “CMS has rolled out an app directory for Medicare recipients as part of the agency’s push to digitize healthcare.
  • “The Medicare App Library seeks solutions that fall under one of three use cases: “kill the clipboard,” conversational AI assistants, or diabetes and obesity prevention and management.
  • “We are calling on health app developers, tech-enabled organizations, and innovators to voluntarily align around a shared framework for data and access that empowers people, improves care, and accelerates progress,” CMS stated Feb. 23. “This is a movement, not a mandate. It is a call to action, not a regulation. Let’s show what’s possible when we work together — and finally bring healthcare into the modern era.”

• Federal News Network tells us
  • “Tens of thousands of federal employees at U.S. Customs and Border Protection are expected to continue receiving pay during the Department of Homeland Security’s current funding lapse, according to an email viewed by Federal News Network.
  • “CBP, a component of DHS, plans to use discretionary funding from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to exempt and continue paying more than 57,600 agency employees who have been working throughout the partial shutdown this month. Details of the agency’s decision come from an email sent this week by the National Treasury Employees Union, obtained by Federal News Network.
  • “Under the current shutdown, CBP will “exempt” and provide pay to a large portion of its workforce, including law enforcement personnel and certain civilian agency employees. Some other CBP employees, however, are still considered “excepted” and will not receive pay until after the shutdown ends.”

• MedTech Dive informs us,
  • “The Trump administration is imposing a six-month moratorium on Medicare enrollment for certain suppliers of durable medical equipment, prosthetics and orthotics, or DMEPOS, as part of a broader plan to combat fraud in healthcare.
  • “The administration said Wednesday that the nationwide halt on enrollment would give the government time to consider more actions “to further mitigate longstanding instances of fraud, waste, and abuse perpetrated by certain DMEPOS companies.”
  • “The temporary freeze applies to all applications for initial enrollment and changes in majority ownership for medical supply companies.
  • “Durable medical equipment includes items such as walkers, wheelchairs, oxygen equipment, hospital beds, continuous positive airway pressure machines and blood sugar monitors.”

• NCQA, writing in LinkedIn, announced its “Advanced Primary Care Pilot Program” and invited reads to “Meet Our Primary Care Partners!”

• The Labor Department’s Employee Benefits Security Administration let us know about extending the public comment period on its proposed Improving Transparency Into Pharmacy Benefit Manager Fee Disclosure rule to April 15, 2026.

From the Food and Drug Administration front,

• MedTech Dive tells us,
  • “The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday posted a warning letter sent to Beta Bionics in late January.
  • “The letter raised concerns with how the diabetes tech company handled complaints of severe low and high blood sugar associated with its automated insulin delivery system. The FDA also flagged problems with the company making modifications to its device without notifying regulators.
  • “In an annual report filed Tuesday, the company said it has already taken several corrective actions, including improvements to the processes identified in the warning letter. The company is also preparing a written response to the letter.”

• Cadiovascular Business informs us,
  • “Cara Medical, a medtech company focused on advanced imaging technologies, has secured U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance for its new platform that noninvasively visualizes a patient’s cardiac conduction system.
  • “The CARA System, which previously earned the FDA’s breakthrough device designation, was designed to help interventional cardiologists and electrophysiologists plan ahead before procedures and then guide them during treatment. It can be used for structural heart interventions such as transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) as well as pacing procedures.
  • “The newly cleared system includes two primary components. The CARA Metis Simulator is a preprocedural planning software that identifies the cardiac conduction axis on CT angiography results and generates a 3D map of the patient’s conduction system. The CARA Atlas Navigator, meanwhile, overlays that map onto live fluoroscopic images to assist with intraprocedural guidance. 
  • “Artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms play a role in both components, extracting metadata and detecting the user’s catheter for visualization, but all AI calculations can still be confirmed by a physician.”

From the public health and medical / Rx research front,

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced today,
  • “Seasonal influenza activity remains elevated nationally. RSV activity is elevated and increasing in some areas of the country. Emergency department visits and hospitalizations for RSV are highest among infants and children less than 4 years old. COVID-19 activity is decreasing nationally but remains elevated in some areas of the country.
  • “COVID-19
    • “COVID-19 activity is decreasing nationally but remains elevated in some areas of the country.
  • “Influenza
    • “Seasonal influenza activity remains elevated nationally. Influenza A activity is decreasing while influenza B activity is increasing nationally and in most areas of the country.
    • “Additional information about current influenza activity can be found at: Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report | CDC
  • RSV
    • “RSV activity is elevated in many areas of the country, including emergency department visits and hospitalizations among infants and children 4 years and younger.
  • Vaccination
    • “National vaccination coverage for COVID-19, influenza, and RSV vaccines remains low for children and adults. COVID-19, influenza, and RSV vaccines can provide protection against severe disease. It is not too late to get vaccinated this season. Talk to your doctor or trusted healthcare provider about what vaccines are recommended for you and your family.”

• The University of Minnesota’s CIDRAP tells us,
  • “The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has ended its investigation into the recent multistate infant botulism outbreak traced to ByHeart powdered formula and lowered the total case number by three. In a Public Health Alert issued earlier this week, California, CDC, and Food and Drug Administration scientists reported 51 infections, but yesterday the CDC said it has excluded three suspected cases, for a total of 48 (28 confirmed, 20 probable) in November and December 2025. While the outbreak is over, investigators continue to probe how Clostridium botulinum bacteria got into the formula, the CDC said.
  • “A report published yesterday in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report describes how officials used artificial intelligence (AI) to identify contaminated ice in a beer cooler as the source of a 2024 Salmonella enterica outbreak at a county fair. Ice is an uncommon vehicle for Salmonella spread at public events, noted author Katherine Houser, RN, of the Brown County Health Department in Mount Sterling, Illinois. The outbreak sickened 13 people (seven confirmed, six probable cases). AI tools helped synthesize background information to support and contextualize the environmental health team’s assessment, Houser said.”

• The CDC also announced today,
  • “As of February 26, 2026, 1,136 confirmed* measles cases were reported in the United States in 2026. Among these, 1,130 measles cases were reported by 28 jurisdictions: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York City, New York State, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. A total of 6 measles cases were reported among international visitors to the United States. 
  • “There have been 10 new outbreaks** reported in 2026, and 90% of confirmed cases (1,023 of 1,136) are outbreak-associated (152 from outbreaks starting in 2026 and 871 from outbreaks that started in 2025).”

• MedPage Today informs us,
  • “Identical stool samples sent to seven direct-to-consumer microbiome testing companies produced substantially different bacterial profiles and health assessments.
  • “Across 18 commonly reported microbial genera, no company’s results matched the consensus; and only three genera of 1,208 identified taxa appeared in every report.
  • “Researchers attributed the discrepancies to differences in laboratory methods and analysis pipelines, and say the results underscore the need for standardized testing and quality controls.”

• The Wall Street Journal considers
  • “Why All The Fuss About Bone Density?
  • “Like most of my peers, I’m being bombarded daily with hectoring advice about my bones. What’s a 40-something woman to do?” * * *
  • “For guidance, [the journalist] consult[s] with Dr. Karen Tang, the author of “It’s Not Hysteria: Everything You Need to Know About Your Reproductive Health (but Were Never Told),” who offers a more measured take.” 

• Healio points out,
  • More than half of adults with type 2 diabetes receiving orforglipron [an investigational Lilly drug] achieved an HbA1c of less than 6.5% at 1 year.
  • Gastrointestinal adverse events were more common with orforglipron than semaglutide.

• Medscape adds,
  • “A low-dose, single pill that combines three antihypertensive treatments is as effective as standard-dose monotherapy — in some cases even better — for treating mild-to-moderate hypertension, according to the first phase 3 double-blind trials comparing the medications.
  • “Investigators for the HM-APOLLO-301 and HM-APOLLO-302 phase 3 clinical trials, which were published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, contend there is now concrete evidence to support the efficacy of the single-pill therapy.
  • “They argue that starting with the traditional single-agent therapy and then titrating up can delay blood pressure control, increase the possibility of adverse effects, and affect patient adherence.”

• The University of Minnesota’s CIDRAP relates,
  • “The results of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) indicate that meningococcal B vaccine is not effective at preventing gonorrhea infection in high-risk groups.
  • “The results, presented this week at the Conference on Retroviruses and Infections by a team of Australian researchers, show that among gay and bisexual men with a history of gonorrhea infection who received either the 4CMenB vaccine or placebo, gonorrhea incidence was essentially the same—roughly 48% in both arms.
  • “The 4CMenB vaccine is designed to protect against four serogroups of Neisseria meningitidis, which can cause invasive meningococcal disease. But in recent years, observational studies have suggested 4CMenB might also provide moderate cross-protection against Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the bacterium that causes gonorrhea—one of the most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs) worldwide.” 

• Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News reports,
  • “CAR T cell therapy has revolutionized the treatment of many blood cancers, but has shown little success against solid tumors, which account for more than 85% of all cancers.
  • “Columbia University researchers have now developed a new form of highly sensitive CAR T cells, known as HIT T cells, that aims to overcome one of the biggest barriers in solid tumor immunotherapies, which is the way that solid tumors lack a single, widely shared surface target.
  • “Headed by Michel Sadelain, MD, PhD, director Columbia Initiative in Cell Engineering and Therapy (CICET), the researchers engineered an ultra-sensitive and highly selective chimeric antigen receptor called an HLA-independent T cell (HIT) receptor, which is capable of detecting even the smallest amounts of the protein CD70 on tumor cells.”

From the U.S. healthcare business front,

• Healthcare Dive reports,
  • “Elevance is consolidating control of its health insurance businesses under Felicia Norwood, its head of government benefits, as the company looks to improve coordination across its Medicaid, Medicare and commercial plans and — hopefully — bolster waning profits.
  • “Mark Kaye, Elevance’s CFO, will also take on leadership of health services division Carelon as current president Peter Haytaian leaves to spend more time with his family, according to a press release Thursday announcing the executive changes.
  • “Haytaian will leave the role effective May 4 and stay on as an advisor through the end of the year. The executive first joined Elevance in 2012 through its acquisition of Amerigroup before becoming president of Carelon in 2021.”

• Beckers Payer Issues adds,
  • “Longtime UnitedHealth Group executive Heather Cianfrocco is leaving the company.
  • Ms. Cianfrocco has served as executive vice president of governance, compliance and information security at UnitedHealth since April 2025. She briefly served as CEO of Optum from 2024 to 2025 before being succeeded by Patrick Conway, MD, who previously led Optum Rx. 
  • “After 24 years, I am saying goodbye to the team at UnitedHealth Group,” she wrote on LinkedIn Feb. 27. “I am leaving with so much pride in what we have accomplished together. I’ve had the privilege of working alongside some of the most talented, mission-driven people who show up every day determined to make health care easier to navigate, more affordable and more human.”

• Beckers Hospital Review notes,
  • “CVS Caremark is expanding its use of Surescripts’ Touchless Prior Authorization platform to accelerate approvals for select specialty medications.
  • “The prior authorization technology connects directly to patients’ EHRs to gather required clinical data and match it with prior authorization criteria, according to a Feb. 25 news release. When requirements are met, CVS Caremark can approve medications automatically in as little as 22 seconds.
  • “The platform is currently used for select specialty drugs, including Vivitrol and Epidiolex, which treat substance use disorder and epilepsy. These medications typically require complex approvals because of their high impact and specialized clinical use cases.”

• Healthcare Dive tells us,
  • “Teladoc Health projects membership in its business-to-business integrated care unit will decline this year, in part due to the expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies, management said during a fourth-quarter earnings call Wednesday.
  • “The company expects 97 million to 100 million members in U.S. integrated care in 2026, down from 101.8 million at the end of last year. 
  • ‘Teladoc expects the decline will be driven by enrollment reductions at some client health plans in government programs, which were impacted by the lapse of more generous financial assistance for ACA coverage, CEO Chuck Divita said on the call.”

• Fierce Healthcare adds,
  • “Walgreens is wading into the self-pay GLP-1 space, going head-to-head with telehealth subscription offerings.
  • “The retail pharmacy giant launched a digital weight management service to offer access to personalized, clinician-guided support for weight loss. The service expands Walgreens’ virtual healthcare platform and provides patients with access to licensed doctors and nurse practitioners, FDA-approved medication options and ongoing virtual support, according to the company in a press release.
  • “Virtual visits through the weight management service cost $49 with no requirement for a monthly subscription. The program, currently available in 28 states, is intended for eligible overweight and obese adults ages 18-64 who plan to self-pay for their GLP-1 medication.”

• Healthexec summarizes news from “the 2026 ViVE conference, part of HLTH, [which] just wrapped up in California. On the show floor, people from across the healthcare and health IT space gathered for four days of events, thought leader insights and product showcases on the floors of the Los Angeles Convention Center.